Evolution of Pennsylvania’s Workers Compensation Laws
In Pennsylvania, with the rise of the industrial revolution, the need to protect workers was becoming clearer and more important. Workers were exposed to more dangers in the workplace that had not been seen before in terms of injury types and the amount of people injured. These issues led to the idea of workers compensation laws to protect employees and promoted the idea of employers carrying workers compensation insurance. The law firm of Larry Pitt & Associates appreciates Pennsylvania’s great history and the evolution of workers compensation and how the changes have affected Philadelphia workers compensation claims.
The Pennsylvania’s Workers Compensation Act was adopted on June 2, 1915. The law covers all workers statewide and provides lost wages for those employees hurt on the job. It also encouraged employers to carry workers compensation insurance. The law established the State Workers' Insurance Fund (SWIF), a fund which guaranteed workers compensation insurance for all employers in Pennsylvania. In the early 1970s, workers compensation became mandatory for all employers and in the 1990s it allowed employers to self-insure if they so desired.
On June 26, 1996 Governor Tom Ridge signed a new Pennsylvania workers compensation act known as Act 57 into law. This law restructured some of the provisions of the original Workers Compensation Act. It allowed employees to settle their cases in lump sum settlements and set rules on choosing a doctor for treatment. It also set temporary total disability limits and changed the way average weekly wages were determined. Many feel that instead of helping injured workers, the act actually hurt workers because of payment reductions and limits
The workers comp attorneys in Philly at Larry Pitt and Associates are proud of our great state of Pennsylvania’s history and how it strives to protect and safeguard its workers. Larry Pitt & Associates aids clients in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery & Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania.
